DEVOTED TO THE DEFENSE OF THE PRIMITIVE
PTIST8.
TO the: ^ETID to the TESTHvIOISTY.”
Volume II.
Wilson, North Carolina, April 15, 1869.
IMBSE
-—/■
The Fount of Life.
T. J. BAZEMOKE.
Thou art the Fount of Life, Great God,
So thou dost tell us in Thy word;
Then speak the word, that we may live,
And freely all our sins forgive!
Tea, Lord, enable us to live
That life v/hich Thou in Christ dost give,
That 'WO may live, and never die,
And live to praise Thy name on high!
“We know if we are Thine, oh Lord,
That Thou dost tell us in Thy word.
That thou to us the boon dost give.
Because Tho u livest we shall live.
The truth with joy our hearts doth greet
That Thou dost say in accents sweet,
“I, I am God and changeth not.
Therefore iny ehos’n are not forgot.
•
While they’re on earth I’ll be their stay.
And watch and keep them ev’ry day;
And when I will. I’ll call them home,
And cv’ry one shall surely come.
Their lile is hid with Christ in Me,
So where I am thoro they shall be;
Ih'.'y’JI-lI'.'-?'whh id‘. a.’fovc,
Sale in rny everlasting love.”
Who are these chosen ones of God,
So often mentioned in His word.
The special objects of Ills love,
Who’ll live with Him, secure, above?
Who shall, though earth and hell oppose,
Beach yon bright world of sweet repose,
And sing God’s praise forever more
On Canaan’s peaceful, happy shore ?
Not those who say they are not dead,
And thus ignore life’s Fountain-head,
Because they are too proud at heart
To let self-righteousness depart.
3^ot those who boast what they can do,
Tet say they trust in Jesus too ;
Who only cling to Jesus’ tiame
To take away reproach and shame.
Not those who do, pervert the word.
And say that they can help the Lord;
Who scare and fool an Jehmaelitf,
And make of him a proselyte.
Not those who beg and preach for mon’y,
And boast that they convert so many;
Who preach and print old Satan’s lies.
And claim the world t’ etangtliit.
But they are those whom God doth “ call
Who claim dear Jesus all in all;
Who, of themselves, in sin are dead,
Tet live, by faith, In Christ, their Head.
Who loathe themselves, and love tho Lord,
And feast upon His precious word;
Whose hearts are bumble and contrite;
Who praise God’s grace with great delight.
Who know the truth, and preach it too,
'But leave tlie work for God to do ;
For they can't change the sinner’s heart.
Nor can they to him life impart.
Then let the truth be treasured still
,Thnt God gives life to whom He will {
And let all cease from their vain stfifa,
for God alone give life.
ShellYviLLE, Tenn., )
February 15,18GVj j*
No. 2.
Soon after the burden of trouble
that bad long been upon my mind
was removed, as I hope, through the
mercy and goodness of the Lord, I
began to fear that I was mistaken,;
and 60 I very soon began to feel
greatly alarmed. It v/as in the night,
when all alone, lying on my bed, that
I.hope the Lord revealed to my mind
the way of life, through the merito
rious righteousness of Christ. Soon
I began to fear that I had been
asleep, and had only been dreaming.
I thought if it had taken place in
the daytime, I would have been bet’'
ter prepared to comprehend the re
sult. I could noAv see how God
could remain just and be the justifier
of poor sinners, through the ri’viie of
Christ; and So 1 spent til
that night in deep meditatioii, with
frequent spontaneous outbursts of
soul to God for merev. 0 ! Lord,
if I am mistaken, I pray Thee to
guide me in the right way. 0 ! that
I could see some one that knew tne
w^ay, that I might tell them the con
dition of my mind, and ask them for
advice. Up to this time, I did not
want any one to know of my trou
bles, hut my mind was now changed
in that respect. I loved God; and
0, how I longed to see some of His
children, that they might speak some
kind word to me, and give me some
comfort. And thus the night passed
off; and as day came, I rose from
my bed and refreshed myself by
taking a walk to catch the gentle
breeze of the beautiful April morn
ing. The sun rose clear and beauti
ful and shone soft and lorely, and
the sweet notes of cheerful little
birds seemed to chant the praise of
God. I felt almost ready to join in
the hearenly song. All nature seem
ed new, and all creation seemed to
be praising God. 0 ! what a change;
yesterday all was dark and dismal,
to-day all is bright and glorious;
yesterday my heart ached, and I was
sad and lonely ; to-day my heart is
easy and I am cheerful. I felt like
singing,
“ Aroazing grace, how 8\veet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I ace.”
And thus the morning past;
often during the day, I could
help saying,
and
not
0, that I knew that
this change was of the Lord. If
it had not occuiTcd in the night, I
thought I vfculd have been hetter
satisfied. With great anxiety I took
up the Testament and opened it and
began to read. I found it to read
quite different to mo to v/hat it had
on any formor occasion; it seemed
to be full of sweet and precious pro
mises, that
gave me
much comfort.
The place I
Nicodemus came to CA'ist by night.
was reading, was where
being
in the night,
interesjjji to..T>Cr
words : “ Tilt
The fact of its
made it the more
V xlea A read these
wind blowoth where it listeth, and
thou hearest the sound thereof, but
canst not tell whence it cometh, or
whither it goeth ; so is every one that
is born of the Spirit,” my heart was
filled to overflowing with love to God;
I could scarcely hold my peace. I
then felt sure it was the Lord, and I
could say, with one of old, “ My
Lord and my God.” There was seated
in the room where I was a lady friend;
she began to interrogate me, seeing
that I was somewhat excited, and I
began to tell her my travels for the
last five years, and what I hoped the
blessed Saviour had done for me.
She then gave me the reason of the
hope that was in her. That evening
was spent in singing, talking and re
joicing. It is one of the days that
I shall never forget. I, a poor aban
doned sinner, elevated to be a child
of grace—an heir of God, a joint heir
with Christ—rich in faith, happy in
love. 0, that day, that joyful day !
Time passed sweetly for several days,
and verily I thought I should never
see any more trouble. But alas,
alas, I soon found that I was sadly
mistaken. I often yet find myself in
mind gone back to the fourth Sunday
in April, 1844. The joy of my heart
that day is far beyond the ability of
my pen to tell; hut the sweet peace
of that ever memorable day was not
to last all the while ; soon itvfas dis
turbed. I began to think it was my
duty, if I had been truly born of the
Spirit, to let it be known by putting
on Christ by baptism. For informa-
tion on this subject I went to the
New Testament. It was my com;^an-
ion by day and by night; my whole
desire was to he guided by the coun
sel therein given : “ Come unto me
all yc that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest; take my
yoke upon you and learn of me, for
I am meek and lowly in heart, and
}mu shall find rest to your souls; my
yoke is easy and my burden js light.”
“ If you love me keep my command
ments ;” “If you love me you will
keep my words.” These and majrvL.
^ ■'bore heavily
upun my miiui, until it was again
distressed with a heavy burden, and
again I would excuse myself; there
were so inanv different churches, ail
claiming tho Bible as tlie 7nan of
their counsel, and having no fellow
ship for each other, this seemed to'
perplex me very much; consequently
I wmuld conclude I had as vrell re-^
main where I was, and not be driven
to such extremes ; then I could go to
hear them all and enjoy all their
preaching, for I thought surely they
were all Christians, all following
Christ. So I went to all their meet
ings (the old order of Baptists among
the rest) and I soon found that no
kind of preaching was food to me,
but sovereign, free and unmerited
grace, and found also that they did
not all preach unmerited grace—ma
ny preached merited grace. So I
was compelled—yes, my dear bre
thren and sisters, I was compelled to
cast my lot with the old order or
Primitive Baptists, because I found
their God was my God ; the doctrine
they preached comforted me, and I
thought I could see in their body the
marks of the Lord Jesus. I felt con
fident that I bad found the Lord'^
house ; but alas, I was not fit to
dwell therein; I was not worthy, an4